E sabiam que o aniversário da Nuts for Paper está a aproximar-se?
É verdade já vai fazer 3 aninhos! Há dois acontecimentos muito especiais. Dia 5 de Junho marca a apresentação pública da Nuts for Paper e dia 5 de Julho foi o dia de abertura da loja online. Por isso a festa vai ser durante um mês inteiro! Mais detalhes muiito em breve!Usually I print and hand cut the Nuts for Paper business cards, but this time I decided to try an online printing service. And I was quite pleased with the end result! (and of course I already had a few other ideas to make the next cards! but that's the curse of a creative person!).I finished the illustration for the notebooks for the Blogger's Camp event. But I'll keep secret of the end result until after the event! I also prepared a few extra surprises that will go with the notebook. You can sneak peek it in the image under... can you guess what the surprises will be?Did you know that Nuts for Paper birthday is upon us?It's true, it's going to be three years! There are two very important dates - 5th of June is the public presentation of Nuts for Paper and 5th of July was the online shop opening. It's going to be a party during all month. All the details very soon!

The reflection about last week only arrived today (Monday) instead of Sunday.Did you ever had to take anti-allergic pills? I had the unhappy lucky of being bitten by some bug and I had to take some anti-allergic pills during the weekend. The end result was me being sleeppy during the whole weekend, one of the anti-allergic pills was very strong, and in some moments it make barely held my eyes open! And I haven't got rid of all the bug stings yet :|And know I will carry on with the Blogger's Camp notebooks.

2) Sestas - o padrão de sono anda completamente marado. Não sou muito boa manter um bom padrão de sono. O que afecta outras coisas como a minha rotina e a maneira/horas em que me alimento. As sestas ajudam-me a descansar e ficar mais focada (é por isso que estão nos meus favoritos) mas acho que devia acabar com eles muito em breve e apostar num padrão/rotina de sono melhor.Naps - my sleeping pattern have been a mess. I'm not very good at keeping it. Which affects so many things like eating patterns and my daily working schedule. Naps help me to be more focused, but although they are in my favourites, I think I should end them very soon and have proper sleeping pattern/routine, instead of having to rely on daily naps to feel ok to actually do something.

3) Música Nostálgica e relaxante - O que ando a ouvir?
- banda sonora d'O Hobbit de Howard Shore
- banda sonora d'O Senhor dos Anéis de Howard Shore
- banda sonora da série Games of Thrones de Ramin Djawadi
- Viagem ao Centro da Terra e Regresso ao Centro da Terra de Rick WakemanRelaxing and Nostalgic Music - What have I been listening?- Soundtrack of The Hobbit by Howard Shore- Soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore- Soundtrack of Game of Thrones by Ramin Djawadi- Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Return to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakeman

Cards have been something that I intended to create since the beginning of Nuts for Paper, but it was delayed for awhile.These travelling ones were a few of the first ones.I've choose some of favourites quotes about travelling and use some new illustrations too. My idea for these cards are that they are a good gift for a traveller, or to someone that wants to travel with someone else.Do you have a quote that you would like to see on a card or other Nuts for Paper product? Leave your suggestions in comments below.By the way, I'm curious what do you prefer - cards or postcards?

I like to start my week with the program for the blog. It might even be just the theme for each day, but it helps me a lot to keep focused on other things and don't have to worry at the last minute. Sometimes I need to add the text, other times I need to take the photos, but with a theme and a idea I can easily build each blog post.I think I found the right balance for me and the blog.1) on tuesdays I write about books. Once a month it's about my monthly reads, also once a month it's a post about female authors. Which leaves me with two other posts to deal with.2) it's not set in stone that I will always publish on wednesdays, but when I do it will be sketchbook or illustrations, and three to three weeks (when possible) I will write about art materials.3) on thursdays it's when I write about Nuts for Paper. Behind the scenes, products I'm working on, launch of new products, collections, etc.4) on fridays it's sketchbook or illustrations5) on sundays it's when I reflect about the past week and my daily life. I started with a photography challenge, my attempt to photograph different things than just my work. But it hasn't been easy to keep the photography part - mainly because when I'm out of the house I forget to photograph things (or even bring the camera).What do you think about the blog schedule? Do you do it too?

I noticed today, when I was adding a few things to the shop, that I seriously have a thing for Monarch Butterflies. I'm not even sure I have spotted all the butterflies in Nuts for Paper products! What about you? Do you like butterflies?

Já não usava lápis de cor e tinta acrílica à algum tempo, mas neste tipo de papel acho que é dos materiais que melhor funcionam. Especialmente o acrílico que fica com um tom vibrante e que salta no papel.I hadn't used colour pencils or acrylic paint for a long time, but I think it's what works best with this toned paper. Specially acrylics, they have such vibrant tones that look like they jump out of the paper.

My days have been spent at this desk. This week I didn't even went to the studio! Truth to be told I've been working on project, and one of the first deadlines is coming closer, and with that the nerves too!

And yes in the image the desk is very tidy, but I've been able to keep it this way most of the time. I've been trying to keep this place where I'm working very minimalistic. Which implies that I have some storage under the desk (two cardboard boxes from IKEA) and the window sill have the two or three books that I'm reading at the moment.

Of course my dear markers can't be missed (either for some inspiration or to help to do colour studies). My sketchbooks (I will soon write a more in depth post about them, but I think I will write about different types of paper first), my planner, several notebooks and their different purposes. The smaller one has been helping me a lot to write blog ideas or books that I want to read soon.

I had a few moments during this week that made me feel quite grown up - it was the week of submitting IRS and VAT. (but at the same time a small part of me wanted to be kid again, so I didn't have to deal with these sort of documents that only give me headaches). Oh well, what about your week?

Copic markers are alcohol based markers. They are double felt tip - one is a brush tip and the other a medium broad tip.They are refillable marker, this means you can by ink to fill the marker when it's running out of ink. You can also purchase felt tips and replace the ruined ones.There are 358 different colours and in four different markers - Sketch (the ones you can get in all colours), Wide, Copic and the Ciao (which have less ink, are cheaper and are the ones that I have).Ciao Copic Markers are also considered to be the student version.Although I never tried the other versions, the Ciao are very comfortable in size and shape. I have small hands and sometimes very high and broad markers (pens, pencils etc) are not comfortable to work with.

There are always those days when you don't feel inspired or that you feel that you have nothing relevant to share. This doesn't mean that I haven't done anything in the past couple of weeks, by the contrary. But when I don't record or when I'm not on the top of my game I often feel that I accomplished nothing. It was just another day...I'm not the most positive person in the world. But I try to balance it as much as I can, after all this place is not a place to cry and rant.I found out that when I'm feeling down, and that I can't work what I wanted to do, it's better stop. Take some time and do other things. Read is a good option. Leave home for awhile, photograph a bit. Shut down the social networks. But essentially leave behind the feeling of guilt and come back t work with restored energies.

April was a month full of ups and downs. It's my favourite month of the years, but not this year. But thinking about it won't lead me to nowhere. What I need to do right now is to focus in May.I have work, I have projects, I have dreams. What the less good days matter for? What matters is not stopping, make things and know day better days/moments will come.

Tenho novidades para acrescentar às lojas online, a seguir à Feira das Almas de sábado retomo essa tarefa!! \\ I have new things to add to the online shops, and I will after next Saturday flea market!